Strawberry Cakes with a Hint of Love
by kimiko yuki
Summary: kakasaku oneshot. Four cups of flour, one cup of sugar, add some butter and some eggs, sweet strawberry icing on top… oh yeah… and dash of something else…[some OC][contest entry]


**Strawberry Cakes with a Hint of Love**

Summary: oneshot. Four cups of flour, one cup of sugar, add some butter and some eggs, sweet strawberry icing on top… oh yeah… and dash of something else…some OC

Disclaimer: Still don't own any of them though I have named my favorite pillow "Kakashi"

-0-

Sakura was awakened by the bright beam of sunlight that peeped through her purple curtains that morning and although she would have preferred to stay in bed and sleep some more, she got a whole busy day ahead of her. Grunting aloud, she covered her head with her favorite purple pillow which she hugged to sleep every night.

_Is it really today, already?_

She blinked her eyes a couple of times under the comfort of her warm blankets before she finally decided to get up from bed. Instinctively, she stretched her out her arms and bent her back, a loud, unlady-like yawn escaping her lips. She was alone in her apartment and no one could see her so it didn't really matter if she was a bit gruff in the mornings. Her parents had died on a mission some years ago and with no siblings or other close relatives, she was pretty much lived a solitary life.

_This is going to be a **long** day._

Stumbling her way to the bathroom, she did her morning essentials, had a hot shower, brushed her teeth and combed her pretty pink tresses which fell almost to her waist. Usually, she would pull it up into a tight bun on her head since Tsunade required her medic nins to do so. Since then, it became a habit to style her hair in that manner even when she wasn't on duty at the hospital.

But today is different. Today she decided to let her cherry locks down without any inhibitions. Tsunade had given her a rare day-off, which is quite surprising since the blonde usually condemns people who, in her belief, aren't working as hard as she was and would usually dish out more jobs to them to do. She was always heard shouting through her office and cursing people at how much tasks still needed to be done even after she had "worked her butt off" the day before. But everyone knew that "work" for the legendary kunoichi usually requires a couple of emptied bottles of sake that she tries to hide under her office table when Shizune wasn't looking, so nobody ever takes her seriously on that subject.

Still, Tsunade is a respectable ninja, a fantastic healer and a dependable sensei, when she's sober.

Sakura snatched up her offer immediately before Tsunade could take it back. She needed this day off, having been working full shifts at the hospital and polishing up on her jutsu in her free time. At the age of eighteen, she had left most of her childhood characteristics behind and had grown into a woman. She even managed to control that fiery temper of hers… most of the time… which was quite a feat.

She assessed herself at the bathroom mirror as she slipped into her tight jeans and a plain white sleeveless shirt. She was happy with what she has, inheriting her mother's slender physique and was pretty much filled out in all the right places. She wasn't what one would call a bombshell, but she definitely had enough assets that could turn quite a number of heads every time she walked into the bar with her girl pals.

Then again, she could see dark circles beginning to form under her eyes and her skin lacked that natural glow she had when she was younger and carefree.

_Hmmp…The hassles of growing up._

She sighed to herself, remembering team seven the way it used to be, Naruto and his undying love for ramen, Sasuke in his oh-so-cool-calm-and-collected attitude and Kakashi-sensei and his obsession with smut. Those were the good old days she loved to reminisce, even with all the dangerous missions and near death experiences they had, because at the end of it all, they always had each other to depend on and somehow it made her feel like she belonged to a family.

But now that they have all grown up and moved on their separate ways, both of "her boys" being ANBU members that kept them busy most of the time, she's been having that awful feeling of being left behind again, that unpleasant sense of being alone.

She grabbed her keys and purse from the small coffee table in the living room, went out the door and locked her apartment. The sun was shinning bright against the cloudless sky and the fresh air felt good in her lungs as she inhaled greedily. She was so used to the disinfected smell of the infirmary she almost forgot the scent of the great outdoors. She headed towards the grocery shop to pick up some of the stuff she needed.

-0-

"Umm… I need a bag of flour and sugar please." Sakura told the grocery manager as she checked the ingredients on her piece of paper.

"Baking another cake, Sakura?" The store manager replied cheerfully as he handed her the items.

"Umm… yes. It's for Kakashi." placing the objects in her shopping basket.

"Ah, yes. The whole town's been talking about it. Great ninja. Never thought it would happen to him after all these years. Give him my regards will you?"

"Will do." Sakura replied "I still need to get some eggs and some fresh strawberries though."

"Well, you're cakes are practically the best in town whatever flavor it is!" Mr. Yoko, the store manager, raised his hands in enthusiasm.

"No… you're just saying that to make me feel better." Sakura blushed a little at the compliment. It did hold a grain of truth. Sakura was as talented in the kitchen as she was in her medic profession.

"Oh, don't be so humble Sakura. You know it's the truth" he replied teasingly.

Sakura laughed at his remark. "Whatever you say, Mr. Yoko!" she waved her farewell as she exited the store and headed for the market for some strawberries.

-0-

Sakura carried the rest of her grocery in a brown paper bag as she strolled across the town and headed back home. She had to get busy right away if she wanted to finish the cake in time. She had trouble finding just the right kind of strawberries for the cake since it was not in season for it to grow. For a moment, she considered making an alternative flavor but discarded the thought immediately. This cake is going to be special, like non she had ever made before. It'll be wholesome and unique, just like the person she intended to give it to.

Sakura sighed as she looked at the top of her shopping bag, red plump strawberries enticing her with their sweet smell. She had spent hours trying to find it and paid more than what was planned for them but she had absolutely no regrets.

_This is for Kakashi. He's worth so much more than just a bag of strawberries…_She smiled to herself.

Sakura picked up her pace as she turned around the corner, the green roof of her apartment already in view.

"Hey Sakura!" a familiar voice yelled for her attention.

_Oh man…not right now…_

"Morning Sasuke" She turned around and faced the raven haired Uchiha. "No anbu missions today?"

She looked at him and found it slightly amusing to see the difference between what she used to be and what she is now. The younger, naïve Sakura would have jumped for joy and feel glorified under any minute attention Sasuke bestowed on her. She laughed remembering her constant battle with Ino for the right to have an imaginary relationship with the Uchiha.

But she is older now, mature and sophisticated. She had realized that her childhood crush for him was just that, a crush. She and Sasuke actually grew closer in terms of friendship after she finally dropped her plans of being Mrs. Uchiha years ago.

She gave him an innocent smile as he came closer.

"Yeah, I cancelled out my missions for today and so did Naruto, for Kakashi, you know. Figured we owe him at least that."

Sakura nodded in agreement as she shifted the weight of the grocery bags to her other arm.

Sasuke scratched the back of his head and looked sheepishly at her. "Umm… you need help with that?"

"Oh no, my apartment's right there, I just need to… Hey Sasuke!" she protested as he grabbed the groceries from her in one swift movement and headed for her house before she could even react. She was panting by the time she managed to catch up with his long, quick strides.

"You really didn't have to, you know." she pouted when they got to her front door.

Sasuke pretended not to hear her words as she fumbled with her keys and held the door open for him.

"You can put those on the kitchen counter." She headed for the fridge to fix him a snack and found some left-over brownies from the previous day._ Guess it'll have to do. _She placed a slice of it in front of him and poured a glass of milk. He attacked it immediately. Sakura's cakes were absolutely irresistible even for the sharingan wielding Uchiha.

Sasuke looked at her intently as she absentmindedly continued on bringing out the rest of her ingredients from the bag. He could tell that her mind was somewhere else.

A few, quiet minutes passed between them, neither one wanting to open up the subject the have discussed days before. The ticking of the grandfather clock in her living room suddenly sounded so much louder against the deafening silence of the room. The atmosphere of her home suddenly got cold and tense with unsaid words lingering in the air.

"Umm… Sakura… actually… I wanted to talk to you." Sasuke finally found the courage to break the tense silence.

_Oh no! Not again… please Sasuke… not right now… _

"What about?" she asked innocently, trying to mask her emotions.

"Well…" Sasuke struggled with words to say. This was way harder than he thought. "I just wanted to know how you're doing."

Sakura flashed him a big fake smile. "I'm doing…ok. Really, Sasuke… you have nothing to worry about."

_Liar._

"Sakura…you can fool yourself but you cannot deceive me. I know you love him. I could see in your eyes." he looked at her with concern in his voice. "You may think I am insensitive but I'm not."

_That's Sasuke… always straight to the point._

Sakura sighed deeply. Yes, she loved Kakashi. There was no point denying that. She had no idea how it happened, how her feelings toward her ex-sensei slowly developed into so much more than plain admiration.

It was not love at first sight, like her silly one-sided romance with Sasuke when she was young.

Her love for Kakashi was like a tiny seed embedded deep inside her heart, too little to notice at first but soon grew more and more perceptible as the years went slowly by.

She tried to ignore it as it patiently branched out and captured her heart. She found lame excuses like "He's your sensei." "He's too old for you." or "It's just infatuation" and other meaningless things like that as the seed sprouted leaves and clouded her judgment. She masked its existence every time Kakashi made her smile for some obscure reason. She refused to surrender to its hold as it flourished into bloom the night when he silently offered her his strength when her parents died.

She denied everything she was feeling, thinking that it would just "go away" and she'd wake up and be _normal_ again.

_How foolish..._

She ignored everything and refused to tell anyone…until that fateful night when Naruto, in his imprudent insensitivity, dropped the news to her.

By then, her disregarded love had grown out of control that it stretched through her heart, mind and body and tore through the thin fabric of her sanity. She was swallowed whole by the intenseness of her emotions that she almost stopped breathing.

_No… please tell me that isn't true… _

She would have broken down right then and there had it not been for Sasuke who saw right through her.

When she was calm enough and Naruto had left them alone, he confronted her emotions and somehow it made her feel a little bit better knowing that she could at last talk to someone about her feelings towards Kakashi. She needed a shoulder to cry on and Sasuke gave his willingly.

"Sakura… hey Sakura…" his voice snatched her consciousness back to reality.

"Oh… uhmm… sorry. I was just… thinking." She broke the eggs into a large bowl and started beating the stuff together.

"You never told him, did you?"

"No… I never planned to." she whispered slowly. "My life's hard enough as it is and I really didn't want to complicate his." She mixed the flour with sugar and folded the concoction together with the beaten eggs.

"Anyway, it's too late to tell him now." her voice trailing off with a choke.

"I guess you are right." He reached out for her hand and squeezed it gently and gave her a rare smile. "I just want you to know that I'm here, if you need somebody to talk to. I'm not as heartless as people say I am"

She smiled sincerely. It never crossed her mind that the Uchiha would be this supportive of her, that he would actually care for her this much. He was definitely one of the friends she will treasure in her lifetime.

"Don't worry about me, Sasuke. I'll learn to move on…I've done it before."

"Yeah, well I guess I better go now and leave you with what you do best!" he let go of her hand and gave a small laugh, trying to lighten up the mood. "You'll be coming to the ceremony, right?"

Sakura took a moment before she answered. "Actually, no. But I'll stop by later." afraid that she'd break down in tears in front of all those people.

Sasuke gave her a knowing smile. "I understand. I'll see you later then." and he showed himself out leaving Sakura all alone with her thoughts and her misery.

-0-

Later that afternoon, Sakura slipped into her plain white dress, not too stylish that it looked formal, but not too laid-back either. She supported a casual elegance that only a few women in Konaha can pull off. She piled her cherry hair in an intricate manner on top of her head, a few stray strands falling at the side, framing her oval face quite beautifully.

She wanted to look good for him, for the very last time.

Giving a last glance at the mirror, she went back to the kitchen to place her gifts inside its boxes.

_Well I've certainly outdone myself this time._

It was a luscious round cake with pink strawberry icing in top. The edges were lined with generous slices of tempting strawberries. It was moist, rich and creamy. She threw in a little bit of chocolate sprinkles at the side, giving it that succulent and velvety look. A few other garnishes it was perfect, the dark chocolate against the pink icing gave it that lovely contrasting appearance.

She slowly placed it inside the white box, careful not to smudge any of its edges, closed the lid, tied a pink ribbon to it and smiled to herself.

Another smaller cake was also set aside on top of the counter and she also wrapped it up in the same manner.

She gave a deep sigh as she exited her apartment with her gifts. _Ok Sakura, lets get this over with._

Making her way down the dusky street, she glimpsed at the sun just as it was about to set and hide its warmth until another day. She found herself wishing that life could be as simple as that, to be able to hide in one dark corner and drown in her sorrows one night and be happy and carefree again when morning comes. But lately, her mornings stopped coming and she was constantly alone, surrounded only by shadows of sorrow.

She walked past the houses and the stores who were closing up for the evening and headed for the gloomiest part of Konoha.

The twilight cast and eerie glow on the tombstones in the graveyard. It was a solemn place where heroes of the village were laid in peaceful slumber forever. Sakura hated going to this place before, but ever since the last of her family was laid to rest in this dismal place, she found a small comfort in the silence and peace of the cemetery.

She stopped in front of two familiar tombstones bearing the names of her deceased parents. Placing the smaller cake on the ground, she sent a silent prayer for her mother and father.

_Mom, Dad, please give me the strength to get through this night._

-0-

Sakura found herself standing on the doorstep of Kakashi's home. She felt a bit reluctant at ringing the doorbell knowing full well what was probably behind that door. Her hands grasped the edges of the box she was holding.

_You don't have to do this, Sakura. Turn around now._

Sakura took a slight step backward, her pulse raced as eyes misted around the corners.

_Turn back now._

Fully resolved at going back to her apartment, she took another step back just as the door creaked open and light from the inside engulfed her whole figure.

She turned around and emerald green eyes met with mismatched ones.

"I knew it was you." Kakashi said cheerfully "you're late."

Sakura forced herself into a smile. "Well I was on my way here and when I suddenly ran into a kitten stuck up on a tree. I couldn't very well leave it up there so I had to…"

Kakashi's hearty laugh broke her before she could finish her _excuse._ "I believe that's my line, Sakura."

"Well you were my sensei after all, your lateness and pathetic excuses must have brushed off me."

"Rightfully said." He held the door open, inviting her to come in.

Sakura stepped inside the house and found almost all of Konoha's ninjas gathered around and mingling with each other his living room, anbu's, jounins, chunins and all other ranks of the ninja discipline. She could already spot a few familiar faces, Ino and Shikamaru, Naruto with Hinata, Sasuke, Lee, Neji, Kiba, Tenten and the others.

"I made this for you, in compensation of my lateness." Sakura handed him the box she was carrying.

"You really didn't have to, Sakura, but I'm glad you did. You know how much I love your cakes."

"Well… I wanted to."

"By the way… you look great tonight."

"Umm… Thank you, sensei. You look great yourself." He was wearing a formal white shirt and dark trousers. The top buttons of his shirt was undone and the sleeves were casually gathered up to his elbow. His usually dark mask was replaced by a white one this time.

"Oh! You weren't in the ceremony earlier, were you?" Kakashi scratched the back of his head with the other hand and ruffled his silver hair. "Would you believe it if I told you I was late in my own wedding? Yumi was not very pleased about it."

Sakura laughed. "I guess some things never change."

"That reminds me, I haven't formally introduced the two of yet." Kakashi waved across the crowd to a pretty lady in an elegant white dress with dark brown hair.

-0-

After the introduction, the rest of the evening was a complete blur for Sakura. She found herself apathetically standing on one corner of the room as she looked upon the faces of the newlyweds, faces full of laughter and fun, faces full of love.

Sakura shivered at the way Kakashi held onto her body as they slowly swayed along with the rhythm of the music. She placed her brown head on his chest, feeling the gentle beat of his heart as he embraced her form tightly against him. The way he possessively snaked his hand up her spine caught Sakura's breath. He whispered something into her ear and she giggled girlishly. He spun her around one time before cupping her cheek in one hand and although Sakura could not hear any of the words, she knew perfectly well what was being said.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Kakashi." Sakura whispered quietly.

She leaned on the wall for support and closed her eyes. Her heart was racing and she felt lightheaded, she couldn't breathe.

If only she had the courage to tell him how she felt, it might have been her in his arms tonight. It could have been her emerald eyes staring dreamily at him right now, overflowing with love and affection and getting the same in return.

Might have been…

Could have been…

The last words of a fool.

Sakura hugged herself. Even in the midst of all these people, she felt alone. No one can ever comprehend the pain she was feeling inside. No one can understand the torture she was going through.

No one.

She held back her tears with a choke. Later she would allow herself the luxury of crying when nobody could see her. She would hide in that dark corner and weep as much as she wanted to, until her eyes could shed no more tears. She would wallow in her misery, surrounded by shadows of despair. And finally, she would lay herself to sleep and dream of Kakashi, because that is all he is to her now, a dream.

Sakura made her way towards the door. She cannot stay for another moment and gaze at all the happiness going on while she was about to break down into tears. She pushed her way against the crowd, desperate to escape the laughter and the fun.

_Just a few more steps Sakura, you can make it._

"Sakura, where are you going?"

_Damn._

She turned around and faced Kakashi once again. "I…umm…I was going to leave."

"But you just got here."

_Kakashi please, just let me go. Can't you see this is slowly killing me? Can't you see this is tearing me apart? Why can't you see, damn it. Why can't you feel that I love you! I love you, Kakashi! I love you so much it hurts…_

"I'm tired." she replied plaintively. _Coward._

"Oh… well at least have a piece of cake, you made it after all." He held up a plate of strawberry cake up to her with a smile in his eyes. "Honestly, it's the best one I have ever tasted."

Sakura gave a halfhearted smile. "umm… no thank you, sensei. It's really for you."

"Just one bite?" he held out a fork towards her.

"Really… no thanks."

"You sure? It's really great!"

She laughed at his attempt. "I'm sure."

"Oh well… thank you Sakura." he moved closer and kissed her on the forehead. "take care on the way home."

"Bye sensei. I'll show myself out."

Sakura closed the door behind her and leaned against it. She gazed at the countless stars in the sky as she said her final farewell to the love of her life.

_Goodbye Kakashi._

She bit on her lips to stop the trembling as she absentmindedly trudged back to her cold, dark apartment, once again, very much alone. The freezing night air felt harsh against her skin but it was nothing compared to what she is feeling inside, the unbearable pain of being unloved.

She closed her eyes and pictured the last scene she had with Kakashi.

No. She had no need to sample the cake to know what it tastes like.

She already knew very well...

the bitter flavor of her tears…

-------------------------------------------------

Inspiration:

Jealous

by Nina (Filipina Atrist)

Jealous of the girl who caught your eye  
One of my darker days  
When you looked at her where was I?  
Shoulda been in her place  
Here I am  
All alone imagining what could have been  
If I had been there

_Chorus:_  
Jealous of the one who'se arms are around you  
If she's keeping you satisfied  
Jealous of the one who finally found you  
Made your sun and your stars collide  
La la la la la la la  
She's a very very lucky girl  
La la la la la la la

Jealous of the one who won your heart  
They say it's a perfect match  
She's gonna get to be where you are  
And I don't get better than that  
She'll say you're fine  
Whisper words I wish were mine  
And they might have been  
If I had been there

_Repeat Chorus_

You know I'd fight the good fight  
If I thought I'd change your mind  
But if she makes you happy  
I would leave that dream behind  
Man, she better treat you right  
And give you everything  
Cause at the moment she doesn't  
I'll be waiting in the wings

------------------------------------

Author's note: This is a contest entry for Kakaxsaku on the club. Is it contest-worthy? Well it's my first time to join any sort of fanfic competition so please forgive me if its not. anyway please read and review.


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